The Coming of Gaze

The Coming of Gaze hits you in the face like a confetti cannon: an explosion of color and high-energy, Kabeaushé’s debut album is a tightly packed burst of musical ideas and clever references. The Nairobi-born artist vaults between kapuka — the early 2000s style that took over the Kenyan airwaves and clubs with its mix of: reggaeton, Swahili vocals, and Kenyan rhythms — old school hip-hop, synth-funk, techno, and bright neon ballroom to name a few, but the album never comes off as incohesive, tied together as it is by Kabeaushé’s unwavering commitment to pure, uncomplicated fun.